From Dust
by LordMcGrammar
Summary: "This was getting ridiculous. That thing dodged shots, reflected them, and now it could just blow missiles away like a scrap of paper? Samus felt herself become desperate for a new tactic, especially now that she had less than half an energy tank left. There were only two options: have the creature surrender, or utilize her most potent weapon…"
1. Seed of Destruction

The endless void of space; peaceful, relaxing, yet undeniably dull. Samus could barely stand the rare moments of unemployment she was forced into. Day in and day out both the Galactic Federation and various civilizations would contact her, wanting escorts, bounty contracts, and other services of such natures, yet there was occasionally a time when the galaxy seemed to have no need for her skills.

She sighed, reclining back into her pilot's chair, the soft padding feeling comfortable even with her Varia Suit equipped. A nap seemed imminent. Samus closed her eyes and let sleep overcome her senses. Perhaps a break wasn't so bad after all.

_**Incoming transmission**__._

Of course.

Samus irritably accepted the transmission, the frequency belonging to the Galactic Federation, and a voice immediately boomed from the console.

"_Samus! Come in Samus!" _the voice shouted, panic present in his tone.

"I read you," Samus replied. "What is it you require?"

"_We've detected a Leviathan seed approaching a planet near your location!_" he shouted. "_It's dangerously close to impact, yet we don't have anyone stationed close enough to destroy it in time! We need you to get over there and intercept its course before it collides with the planet!"_

"What are you talking about? Phaaze was destroyed and so was all phazon in the galaxy!" Samus said. "There's no way a Leviathan could have survived!"

"_The scientists aren't sure how or why, but it _is _a Leviathan!_" An alarm started buzzing in the background. "_Dammit, we don't have time to discuss this! If you want to talk pay, we can do it afterwards, but we can't let that thing make impact! I'm uploading the coördinates to you now. Don't fail us, Samus._"

The transmission shut off, and since she didn't seem to have a choice in the matter, Samus input the coördinates the Federation provided and set a flight course.

_**Destination set. Engaging warp-drive. **_

One bright flash of light later, Samus found herself close to a planet she did not recognize, though with its oceans and obvious plant life, it looked remarkably similar to Earth. To her disbelief, there was a large meteor nearby, tinged with blue and large tentacles emerging from its back; a Leviathan seed. "Impossible…" she whispered to herself. Samus herself had destroyed Phaaze and all phazon along with it… how could this have happened?

The seed was indeed on a collision course with the planet below, and Samus could clearly see that she hadn't much time. She quickly activated the ship's main engines to accelerate toward the Leviathan. Once she was directly behind the seed, Samus engaged the weapon systems and took aim.

_**Target locked. Firing in three… two… on- **_**BOOM!**

Samus was knocked out of her seat as a mass of phazon hit the side of the ship.

_**Hull integrity at seventy-three percent. Corrosive agent detected; hull integrity at seventy-two point five percent and declining.**_

As the ship repeatedly announced the hull's condition, Samus leapt back into the pilot's seat and corrected the ship's course. As she approached the Leviathan once more, several phazon blobs were fired toward her, but she dodged each one of them swiftly.

_**Target Locked. Firing in three… two… one… firing.**_

A missile launched out from underneath her ship's engine, making a beeline for the Leviathan seed. Just as it was about to make contact with the Leviathan, however, a blob of phazon was fired at the missile, detonating it before it could do any damage. Swearing to herself, Samus activated another lock-on sequence.

_**Entering atmosphere.**_

Time was running out. Samus opted to manually take control of the weapon's system for the sake of speed, and prepared to fire at the Leviathan.

_**Corrosive agent neutralized. Hull integrity remaining at sixty point seven percent. Warning: heat- shield damage on Engine A detected. Dispensing coolants.**_

Samus ignored the ship's messages as she bombarded the Leviathan with missiles. A few of them were intercepted by phazon blobs, but most were able to do significant damage to the seed.

_**Warning: Engine A cooling failed. Preparing to shutdown Engine A.**_

"Dammit!" Samus needed the engine's thrust if she were to keep up with the Leviathan. "Abort Engine A shutdown sequence," she barked, focusing her attention once more on the seed.

_**Shutdown aborted.**_

Samus had managed to damage the Leviathan to the point where she could easily seed the core. If she could just fire a single missile into that core, the Leviathan would be destroyed. Samus took aim at the core, locking onto her target.

_**Warning: Engine A overheat imminent. Shutdown advised.**_

Ignoring the ship once more, Samus prepared to fire the killing blow. She took aim, and fi-

**BOOM!**

The ship was rocked by a small explosion on its right side, sending the missile Samus fired into the planet's terrain.

_**Engine A integrity at fifty-eight point eight percent. Explosion imminent.**_

"No!" Samus attempted to correct her course, but the damage to the engine was too extensive. As she attempted to activate the ship's RCS thrusters to help straighten her path, another, much larger explosion hit the ship's right side.

_**Engine A destroyed. Engine B integrity at thirty point two percent. Engine C integrity at forty-three point eight percent. Prepare for crash landing.**_

"God dammit, no!" All of Samus' efforts to reactivate Engine A were in vain, and she found herself unable to control the thrust on both B and C. It was utterly hopeless.

As the ground came into view, Samus heard the sound of the Leviathan crash into the planet's surface. She had failed. The thought flashed over and over again as the ground hurtled toward her. She had failed her mission, and now she was going to die. The earth slammed into her ship, and then nothing.

* * *

**First chapter of my first story. I'm quite proud of myself for actually getting the guts to upload this thing, and I'm especially proud that I finally figured out how to put in little notes like these at long last. Anyway, reviews are highly appreciated, and I would love to hear some ****criticism so I can make this story_ somewhat_ appealing. **


	2. Rise from the Ashes

_Dust… _

_Dust… _

_Arise!_

Dust opened his eyes. Last he remembered, he had defeated General Gaius, and in the end, was killed himself. He was supposed to be dead, yet here he was in the Glade once more. Dust looked up. A bluish, unusually shaped sword was floating a short distance away, giving to him a serious sense of déjà-vu.

"Ahrah…" he said, examining himself as if it was the first time he had ever seen his own body. "What's going on? Why am I alive?"

"_I do not know, Dust…"_ the blade admitted. "_But this can only mean that something is amiss._"

"What do you mean?"

"_You were tasked with saving this world, Dust, yet that you live means that it is in peril once more…_"

"'In peril'?" Dust repeated. "Are you saying that Gaius is alive? That everybody's efforts where in vain?"

"_No_," Ahrah said confidently. "_General Gaius is no more; you saw to that. His presence is gone from this existence, but now there is another evil at work, and you must destroy it as well._"

"Do you know what this evil is then, Ahrah? Is it as powerful as Gaius was?"

"_I do not know the answer to either one of those questions,_" the blade said plainly.

Dust frowned. "You're not holding anything from me this time, are you?"

"_I have no cause to, Dust,_" Ahrah replied. "_Even if I did, I truly would have nothing to withhold in the first place; whatever it is that brought you here is entirely unknown to me…_"

Sighing, Dust looked up toward the sun, noticing it was just past noon. "How long has it been?" he asked. "Since the battle, I mean."

"_Perhaps a week or so._"

"Hmm..." Dust examined himself once more. He could feel his fur being gripped by friction as he rubbed his hands together. He could feel the cool breeze brush against his face. He was indeed alive, but the fact that he was bothered him. "I'm not even burned..." he murmured.

"_I understand your confusion, Dust, but whatever it is that is threatening Falana now takes priority over any questions you may have, I'm afraid._" Ahrah floated toward Dust, placing himself in the warrior's hand. "_Maybe if we figure out just what it is we're up against we can get some answers._"

"I suppose so." Dust gripped the familiar blade, knowing that he would inevitably be forced to wield it again. "Ahrah, do you know where we are?" he, asked.

"_In the Glade, as you may know, but I'm not sure where we are within. Perhaps if you found a vantage point we could find Aurora Village_."

"Good idea." Dust quickly located a sizable tree, and promptly began leaping from branch to branch. Once he reached the top, it only took a few seconds of scanning the landscape to find the tiny Aurora Village.

Dust smiled. "I've found the village," he said.

"_That is the least of our concerns, Dust! Look up!_"

"What are you-?" Dust glanced toward the sky. An absolutely massive meteor hurtling toward the earth, looking more akin to a fireball than any sort of rock. "What is that thing?!" Even with flames surrounding it from all sides, Dust could make out a bluish tinge and, bizarrely, tentacles trailing behind it. He could make out another shape, but it was much smaller, and had thick, black smoke billowing from its side. After watching it for a second or two, the smaller shape exploded and began to plummet toward the ground.

"_Dust! Move out of the way_!" Dust heard the large meteor make impact as he leapt from the tree, narrowly dodging the smaller object as it flew overhead, which too crashed into the ground nearby. Dirt and dust from both objects burst into the air, creating a massive cloud of black and brown that erased the sun from view.

Coughing from the smoke and dust, Dust gasped. "What… what was that?"

"_I'm not sure, Dust,_" Ahrah said quietly. "_But I believe that this is the beginning of a long and difficult journey…_"

* * *

**Those of you who actually have played Dust (which would be most of the people who read this, I imagine) probably see what I did with the intro there, and likely believe it to be unoriginal. You be correct in assuming such, because I, like most people on this site, enjoy stealing assets from the franchises I love. Please leave a review so that the story becomes _slightly_ more creative.**


	3. The Creature and The Beast

_**Emergency generator online.**_ _**Initiating auto-repair sequence.**_

Samus slowly stood up, her head pounding and her vision blurred. Smoke billowed from every corner of the ship, making her already poor sight twice as bad. She stumbled over to the cockpit, unable to stand straight due to the angle at which the ship crashed.

"Activate distress beacon," Samus said.

_**Sending distress signal... Error. Atmospheric disturbance prohibiting broadcast.**_

"Wonderful. It's Aether all over again," Samus scoffed. She pulled up the auto-repair UI on the ship's computer. "Estimate auto-repair completion."

_**Auto-repair completion estimated to be in approximately six days.**_

Samus scowled. "What's next? Alternate dimensions? Parasitic abominations?" Deciding it would be best to scout the area outside, she activated the ship's landing gear, lifting the vessel just enough to straighten its horizon. The hatch at the top of the ship opened, and Samus leapt out with an unnecessarily stylish somersault. As soon as she came into contact with the planet's surface, a hand and a knee to the ground, her suit bombarded her with data readings.

_**Lower atmosphere analysis complete. Eighty point two percent nitrogen, nineteen percent oxygen, point eight percent other gases.**_

The atmosphere was nearly identical to Earth's, meaning Samus could potentially survive outside of her suit. But why was her distress beacon blocked?

_**Upper atmosphere analysis complete. Phazon gas detected. Likely source of signal interference. **_

"Well, that would explain it…" she muttered. The phazon coating her ship's hull and the projectiles the Leviathan fired must have burned up in the atmosphere, creating the gas. Samus looked up, and she noticed a deep blue cloud overhead where she and the Leviathan entered, confirming her suspicions. "I'd better find that Leviathan before it has a chance to do the same to the surface."

Before Samus could make another move, her suit's radar picked up something behind her. She turned around, arm cannon at attention. In the bushes was a humanoid figure, wearing clothes reminiscent of that of an ancient Chinese warrior, made complete by a black satgat that hid its eyes from view. She noticed the creature was clutching something in its hand, and guess that it was supposed to be some sort of weapon. Still aiming at the creature, Samus activated her scan visor.

_**Target is a member of an unknown mammalian species. Three distinct energy signatures detected; two coming from the creature itself, and a third from its weapon.**_

"Odd…"she whispered, noting the unusual quality of the creature. Samus turned her attention to the sword the creature held. Runes were carved into its blue tinted blade, occasionally glowing softly.

_**Target is comprised of an unknown alloy of high density. The blade is quite sharp, and it has the potential to deal heavy damage to your suit. A distinct energy signature has been detected; the weapon is likely augmented with internal systems. Caution is advised.**_

A computerized sword. Curious, but not impossible. Deciding the creature was a potential threat, she raised her cannon into the air and fired three warning shots. The creature stood its ground, almost entirely unmoving. Perhaps she needed to make her message more clear.

Samus fired a shot at a tree close to the creature. It flinched, and then slunk back into the shadows, apparently receiving the warning. Before she could turn to walk away, however, the creature leapt out of the forest with blinding speed, landing a heavy blow with the side of its weapon and sending Samus tumbling backwards. She landed on her feet, and then looked up to face her attacker. Its sword was poised in an unusual fashion, but judging from the creature's posture Samus could tell it was ready and able to put up a battle.

"If it's a fight you want," she said, taking aim at the creature, "It's a fight you'll get!"

* * *

Dust had followed the smoke trail for about three miles through the forest, finally arriving at the crater it had created. Broken trees and scorched earth surround the object in the center, which Dust was now able to clearly identify. It was a large, round, saucer type thing made of an orange metal. It lay at an angle within the ground; no doubt a direct result of its landing speed.

"Do you know what that is, Ahrah?" Dust asked, observing the object from behind a bush.

"_I do not, but it appears to look similar to one of General Gaius' airships,_" Ahrah replied.

Dust frowned, eyeing the object over once more. "It does look like an airship, but not one of Gaius'," he said. "His ships had a very… unique look to them."

"_Is this not unique_?"

"That's not what I meant. It doesn't look like something Gaius would have made…" Dust looked intently at the ship. "It seems almost… alien. Like it doesn't belong here."

Without warning, the ship rose a short distance into the air, making Dust jump. "It can still fly? After that sort of landing?" he breathed, quite impressed. Whatever that thing was made by, it seemed to have known what it was doing.

The ship hovered softly above the ground, and then landed once more in a more upright position. A bright green light then shot out from above, and to Dust's astonishment, he saw something leap out of the light, somersaulting down to the earth and landing with one hand and one knee to the ground.

"_Rather unnecessarily stylish, though impressive_," commented Ahrah.

Dust quietly observed the strange beast that had emerged from the ship. It was larger than he was, with a subtle feminine air about it. The beast's back was turned to him, but he could tell it was clad in some sort of armor. It was primarily orange, though it had a yellow midsection, a red helmet and a red breastplate. The shoulder pads were large and bulbous, seeming more decorative than functional.

What caught Dust's attention the most however were the beast's hands. The left looked rather ordinary, except it too was covered in armor, but the creature's right arm was another story. In place of a hand, its entire forearm was made up of a large mass made of a dark green metal, which to Dust seemed it would be more of a hindrance than anything else.

"What in the world is that thing?" Dust asked Ahrah.

"_I… I have no idea…_" the blade said, sounding concerned. "_Be careful, Dust. We have no idea what it is or why it's here; it could be dangerous._"

Dust grunted in agreement, yet curiosity compelled him to move closer. As he carefully inched forward, the beast paused. Dust felt his heart skip a beat when the beast turned around, revealing a bright green eye at the front of its helmet as it pointed the mass on its arm toward him.

"I think it sees us…" Dust whispered.

The beast stared at them, almost motionless. Its attention was entirely focused on the two of them.

"_It seems to be observing us…_" Ahrah noted.

Dust and the beast stared at each other for what seemed like hours, quietly watching each other for any sign of aggression. Finally, the beast raised its right arm toward the sky, and fired three bright flashes of light from the end.

"That green thing's a weapon…" Dust realized.

"_If the shots are anything like Fidget's, we should be fine,_" Ahrah quipped.

Dust couldn't help but chuckle a bit. "If she were here…" he began, but was interrupted by a flash of light flying past him. Dust felt the heat radiating off the projectile as it narrowly avoided his face and hit a tree nearby, scorching its bark off completely.

"I don't think diplomacy will be an option," Dust said, looking at the tree with a worried expression.

"_Back away Dust…_" Ahrah said. "_Look for an opening_."

Dust did as Ahrah said, backing away just enough so that the beast would lower its guard.  
"_Now!_"

Dust leapt from the ground, striking the beast forcefully with Ahrah's blunt side, sending it tumbling backwards, though it immediately landed back on its feet.

"If it's a fight you want…" the beast said in a feminine voice as it raised its weapon. "It's a fight you'll get!" It fired rapidly at Dust, but he easily dodged the projectiles as they came. He dashed toward the beast, intending to land a few swings on it, but rather than continuing to fire, the beast lunged toward Dust and grabbed him by the neck. It then slammed him on the ground with massive strength and pinned him down with its foot to his throat. Dust struggled to free himself, but lack of oxygen and the beast's weight combined was simply too much. The a golden orb of light began to grow on the end of the beast's weapon,

"_Dust! Kick the back of its knee!_"

The beast seemed bewildered for a moment, releasing some pressure and giving Dust just enough time to flip himself, hitting the its leg and sending it to the ground. He grabbed Ahrah again and slashed the beast down its side before it could react, then leapt back to catch his breath.

"I think we may have a problem, Ahrah…" he wheezed.

* * *

Samus had to admit, the talking sword surprised her. The fact that it spoke English of all things was just as, if not more surprising. It wasn't an excuse though; she could have killed the creature then and there, but she let her guard down. The creature had managed to do a good deal of damage too; nearly two of her energy tanks were drained by that single blow.

"Let's get this over with," she said, irritated by her own negligence. "I have a Leviathan to destroy." Her arm cannon morphed into a wider shape, purple energy coursing within its crevices. She fired several rounds, watching in slight satisfaction as the creature attempted to dodge the homing projectiles, only to be knocked down by the blast. "The Wave Bean will be your undoing," she said quietly.

* * *

Dust watched in confusion as the beast's weapon changed shape, widening to reveal lines of purple light from within.

"_The beast is changing tactics; don't let your guard down!_"

The beast fired, only this time the projectiles were purple. Dust dashed off to the side, but to his surprise the shots followed him. Each one hit him, sending spasms through his body as the energy passed through him.

"Damn… that hurt…" Dust gasped, barely able to get the words out. "There's no way I can avoid that…" The beast seemed satisfied by its handiwork, but prepared to fire once more.

"_Use the Dust Storm before they hit you!_" Ahrah said as the creature fired a few more shots. Dust quickly obeyed, spinning Ahrah around at high speed as the shots came toward him. As the projectiles hit the blade, the split up into smaller fragments and turned against the beast. Dust smiled as the beast attempted to dodge as he did, only to find itself bombarded by the tiny projectiles.

"How did you know that would work, Ahrah?" he asked.

"_The shots are remarkably similar to Fidget's, only they are extremely powerful,_" the blade replied. "_I only had to put the pieces together._ _We can use any of its projectiles against it._"

Dust smirked. "Well, now we have an advantage over this thing. Let's see it try and shoot us now!"

* * *

That was… most unexpected. Samus shook her head and glanced at her energy level. She only had three and a half energy tanks left. This creature was much more powerful than she anticipated; the fact that it adapted to every move she made was unbelievably frustrating, especially since the creature managed to defy basic physics. She couldn't fathom how her Wave Beam projectiles were cut into smaller shots, or why they suddenly gravitated towards her. Perhaps his species had energy manipulation capabilities, like the Chozo or… That was it. The sword.

Samus chided herself for not realizing it earlier. The sword was a tool that the creature used to manipulate her shots; it would explain the energy signature she detected within it. If she could separate the blade from the creature, it would be powerless.

* * *

Raw energy wasn't an option anymore, but condensed energy might be volatile enough to prevent the creature from redirecting it. Samus smirked as she switched back to her Power Beam and loaded a missile into the chamber. If things went according to plan, the fight would end right here, leaving her as the victor.

Dust watched worryingly as the beast morphed its weapon back into its original form. The beast has proven resourceful, and obviously was not utilizing its full arsenal. Dust could only hope that whatever it had up its sleeve he could handle.

The beast took aim and fired a large, brownish orange projectile that trailed smoke as it traveled toward Dust. He attempted to dodge it, but noticed its change its trajectory in time to pull off a Dust Storm. When the projectile hit, however, it exploded with great forced, nearly knocking Ahrah out of his hands and Dust himself to the ground.

Dust clenched his teeth in pain as a burn spread across his fingers. "Ahrah, I can't do anything against those things!"

The blade paused for a moment, pondering the situation. "_Those projectiles seem to be of a different nature than those we've encountered before. Rather than pulling them in, why not blow them away_?"

"It's worth a try." Dust watched closely as the beast reloaded its weapon, prepared to fire again.

* * *

Samus frowned. The missile apparently didn't have the force to dislodge the sword. She hated to resort to it, seeing as the weapon consumed five of her standard missiles, but the creature forced her hand; she would fire a Super Missile.

* * *

The beast fired again, this time the projectile was much larger and traveled quicker. Dust barely had enough time to leap into the air to perform an aerial Dust Storm. When the projectile entered the cyclone the Dust Storm had created, it made a single revolution and then flung off into the beast's chest, creating a much larger explosion than before and knocking it back a good distance.

"I can't believe that worked!" Dust exclaimed once he hit the ground. "Now if only Blombs worked like that…"

"_This isn't over yet, Dust. You've only managed to actually hit that thing twice without using its own weapons,_" Ahrah pointed out."_We don't know how many weapons it has at its disposal; it could have something we can't do anything to stop._"

"It looks like it's running out of ideas, though," Dust said. "If we can back it into a corner, it'll be simple enough to destroy it."

"_Be warned, Dust; a beast is at its most dangerous when it is cornered._"

This was getting ridiculous. That thing dodged shots, reflected them, and now it could just blow missiles away like a scrap of paper? Samus felt herself become desperate for a new tactic, especially now that she had less than half an energy tank left. There were only two options: have the creature surrender, or utilize her most potent weapon… She lifted herself off the ground, and met her aggressor's gaze.

"Surrender now or I will be forced to resort to nuclear arms!" the beast announced. Dust smirked. He wasn't sure what it meant by "nuclear arms", but it was obviously a desperate attempt to end the fight.

"I don't think you're in any position to be asking me to surrender," Dust said. "If you are wanting to make a deal, leave now and I will spare your life."

"I'm afraid that isn't possible," the beast replied. "You back away and allow me to continue on my mission and you will have no further trouble from me."

"And risk having you hurt innocent people? I'm afraid I'm going have to refuse," Dust scoffed.

The beast glared at him. "The more you delay me, the more people will get hurt."

"Is that a threat?" Dust growled.

"It is a promise."

Dust scowled. "Do your worst."

The beast sighed. "You may not live to regret your decision," it said coldly.

Dust braced himself for some sort of projectile weapon, but instead, the beast morphed into something utterly… unexpected.

"Ahrah…?"

"_Yes, Dust_?"

"Did that thing just turn into a… ball?"

"_I believe it did_."

The ball had a similar color scheme to the beast's armor, only it had a bright white orb of light inside of it. Dust couldn't help but wonder if it was a "nuclear arm" or a beach toy. "That's it? A ball?" He found it difficult to hide his amusement. "Am I supposed to be afraid of a child's playthi-OOMF!"

Without warning, the ball hurtled into Dust's gut, knocking him the wind out of him. As he lay on the ground, gasping for breath, Dust saw the ball roll in front of him and drop a small device behind it. He thought nothing of it until it started beeping.

"_It's a bomb! Get away, Dust!_" Ahrah shouted, obviously alarmed.

Dust scrambled to get up and grab the sword, but he only managed to get a few feet away before the device detonated, sending a wave of hellish heat across the area. Ahrah was flung out of his hand, and Dust himself into a tree with a sickening _**crack**_.

Dust moaned from a sharp pain in his side; no doubt a broken rib. Ahrah lay nearby, but just out of reach. Gasping weakly, he tried to reach for Ahrah, but as he was about to grab the blade's pommel, a heavy, orange boot stepped on his hand, sending pain through his entire arm. He looked up to face the intimidating glare of the beast, its weapon directly against his head.

"You should have surrendered, fleabag."

* * *

**Dear Lord this fight scene is a mess... I tried to clean it up to the best of my abilities, but it just feels sloppy to me. Trying to find a beta reader who's a fan of both Dust and Metroid is not an easy task, so I'll probably be relying on myself and Spell-check for a while, if not for the rest of the story. This could potentially be remedied by some reviews telling what I did wrong, but I'm at a loss at where to find such things... Perhaps you, reader, could help shape this pile of words into a masterpiece!... or at the very least something less terrible.**


	4. A (Semi)-Mutual Agreement

Samus watched as the creature beneath her foot squirmed, desperate to escape but too injured to lift her weight. It was pitiful, really. She charged up her Power Beam, opting to end its life before it could retaliate once more. "I gave you fair warning," she said to the creature, who seemed to ignore her completely. "But you chose to end it like this." Samus let her beam charge up fully, and prepared to fire.

"_Don't_!" a voice cried. Samus turned around, but only saw the sword lying on the ground. "_We surrender_."

The creature wheezed. "Ahrah, what are you doing? We can't just-"

"_There is no shame in admitting defeat, Dust,_" it interrupted. "_It is best to surrender now and live than to hold on to stubborn pride and die._"

Samus blinked. That sounded like something Old Bird would have said… She looked down at the creature. Its satgat had fallen off, revealing long, silver hair and light blue eyes filled with the determination to live.

Samus lowered her weapon, though she was still prepared to retaliate to any aggressive move. "I accept your, surrender, but only under one condition," she said.

"And what would that condition be?" the creature asked weakly, clearly trying to hide a snarl.

"You must have seen a large meteor crash earlier," she said. "I want you to take me to it. If you can't do that, take me to someone who can. Sound fair?"

The creature opened its mouth to protest, but the sword spoke before it could make a sound. "_It sounds like a reasonable request. We accept._"

"I suppose we do…" the creature said reluctantly. "But if I'm going to keep my side of the deal, I'm going to need you to get off my hand…"

Samus lifted her foot off the creature's hand, which it immediately cradled under its arm, obviously in an attempt to keep its mind off the pain. She almost felt bad about it. Almost. Samus extended her hand, but the creature ignored the gesture, choosing to struggle back onto its feet on its own. "Do I detect some bitterness?" Samus asked, earning her an angry glare from the creature.

"You _did_ attack us," it spat as it put its satgat back on. "Without reason, might I add."

"Apparently, you don't understand the concept of a warning shot, do you?"

"_Can we _not _get into another fight_?" the sword chimed in. "_The both of you are acting like children._"

"Hey! That thing started it!" the creature protested.

"_Case and point_._ Anyway, I'm certain 'that thing' has a name,_" Ahrah said._ "Would I be correct in assuming such_?"

"You would," Samus replied. "My name is Samus Aran. And you would be…?"

"_I am the Blade of Ahrah, though I am known simply as Ahrah. The one you are facing is my master, Dust._"

"A pleasure to meet you, Ahrah," Samus said, earning her yet another glare from Dust.

Dust frowned. "Why do you want to find that meteor? Did you have anything to do with it?" He made no attempt to hide his suspicion.

"Quick to distrust, aren't you?" Samus observed. "I suppose in your position I wouldn't be so willing to guide the one who nearly vaporized me…"

"_Samus, please do explain why you are searching for the meteor_," Ahrah requested. "_Is there something there you are searching for_?"

"If you must know, there is a toxic substance that arrived on said meteor," Samus sighed. "I've been asked to eliminate it before any permanent damage is done."

"By whom?" Dust asked.

"The Galactic Federation," Samus replied. Seeing Dust's expression of confusion, Samus quickly explained, "The Galactic Federation is the central government for most of the galaxy. Any and all members of the Federation are required to adhere to its laws and regulations, though to become a member one's species must have ascended to a certain degree of technological advancement. Seeing as you used a sword in our little 'brawl' back there, I'll assume that this planet will _not_ be a member any time soon."

Dust scowled, a light growl escaping his lips. "Had I not agreed to help you, I would have cut your tongue out by now…"

"While I'd love to see you try, I'd hate to end up killing my guide before he could even step one foot in the direction I need to go." Dust huffed angrily, bringing a strange satisfaction to Samus.

"_Again, can you two stop bickering_?" Ahrah said irritably.

Dust huffed again, but didn't say anything. After a moment or two of silence, Samus spoke up. "Well, now that we've gotten to know each other well enough," she said. "I suggest we start moving if you value the safety of your planet." She stepped aside, gesturing Dust to move ahead of her.

"The sooner begun, the sooner done…" he muttered as he began walking. Samus followed directly behind him, sighing as her ship disappeared behind trees and shrubbery.

This mission would not be an enjoyable one.

* * *

Dust tread slowly, keeping an eye over his shoulder as Samus followed closely behind him. She occasionally would look around, observing plants and the few animals they came across. It made Dust uncomfortable to see that thing learn about his planet, and seeing as how crafty she was during their fight, he wouldn't doubt that she'd use it against him somehow.

"_You've hardly spoken,_" Ahrah noticed.

Dust sighed. "I don't trust Samus," he admitted, though out of earshot of the strange being. "She says that there's a 'toxic substance' on that meteor, but I don't buy it. She seems too eager to find deadly materials… It's more like she's hunting for treasure."

"_Perhaps, but I somehow think that she's tied to why you're here_," Ahrah said. "_If we help her find the meteor, I'm sure we'll find some information_."

Dust grunted in agreement, though he was not enthusiastic to travel for miles with Samus following him,

"Do you have any idea where you're going?" Samus said suddenly.

Truth be told, Dust did _not_ know where he was, but his pride went on the defensive. "Of course I do!" he lied, acting offended by the question.

"Truly? Because we've passed the same goddamn rock pile twice now!" she shouted, pointing at a strikingly familiar pile of stone. "I would have figured a traveler such as you would carry a map of some sort. Or is your species _that_ primitive?"

"I _do_ have a map," Dust growled. "Let me just… oh no…" Dust realized he didn't have his bag, which contained _everything_ he owned, including his map. "Okay, so I _had_ a map…" he admitted.

"So you're lost," Samus said angrily. "Remind me why I didn't kill you?"

"Because I happen to know that there's a town close by that sells maps," Dust said quickly, noting her hostility. "It should be to the east, but I'll need to get above these trees." Dust leapt into the branches of a particularly tall oak, and then climbed to its top to scan the horizon. Though he saw no buildings, two or three puffs of smoke rose from the forest; a clear sign of civilization. Dust hopped back down to face Samus.

"Well?" she asked impatiently. "Did you see anything from up there?"

"I did. There's smoke coming from about a mile or so from here," he replied, pointing in the direction of the smoke. "That should be the village."

"Then we shouldn't be wasting time here," she said, taking initiative and walking ahead. Dust was tempted to just let her walk away while he stayed behind, but a stern voice called out, "When I turn around, you better be there or I'll shove my boot up your a-"

"Alright!" Dust shouted as he ran to catch up with her, half furious and half frightened by Samus' threat, knowing that she was likely serious. "You see?" he hissed at Ahrah. "Do I have _any_ reason to trust that sociopath?"

"_You don't,_" Ahrah said. "_But you should trust that she is important as to why you are alive right now. The Life Thread has no doubt arranged this meeting, and although we may not see why at this moment, answers will come so long as we continue at this pace._"

Dust silently agreed, though his suspicions grew more and more the more he thought about the strange warrior he had met. One thing was for certain, he thought; Samus was hiding something, and it would only bring disaster.

* * *

**_Took me a while to finish this; between The Led Zeppelin Experience, school preparations, Dragon Age, and general laziness, I haven't been writing all that much. _**

**_Fun Fact For Those Who Believe Useless Information To Be Fun: this was supposed to be two separate chapters, but I felt like they both a bit short, so I stuck 'em together. Lazy? You know it. Prevent such laziness by leaving a review to condemn laziness in general. It won't help the obese population, but it might help me write more.  
_**


	5. Poison

Poison

The forest parted into a clearing, revealing a small hut and a fire pit, the ashes cold and forgotten. Samus scanned the area, but detected no life other than Dust.

"This place used to belong to Cora…" he whispered, a hint of sadness in his voice.

"Did something happen here?" Samus asked.

"Nothing dangerous, if that's what you're asking," he replied. "Cora was an elderly woman; passed away not too long ago."

"Be glad she reached her end naturally," Samus said, surprising Dust. "Too many die young."

"_A sad truth indeed, Samus…_" said Ahrah. "_Dust and I have seen the end of many lives; it is good that at least one ended in age rather than at the end of a blade…_" Dust remained quiet, but nodded in silent agreement with the sword.

"More death waits if we- wait a moment…" Samus rushed over to a pair of cyan mushrooms sprouting from the side of the hut.

"Is something wrong?" Dust asked.

"Pray there isn't…" Samus said, scanning the mushrooms in hopes that her suspicions would be proven false.

_**Scan complete. Phazon mutation detected in local mushroom species.**_

"Oh no…" Samus breathed, turning to face Dust, whose expression became grim as she spoke. "It's already begun…"

"W-what has?" Dust asked, concern riddled across his face. "What's the matter?"

"It's time to explain things in full…" Samus sighed. "As I've said before, I was sent here to eliminate a toxic substance that arrived on the meteor by my employers at the Galactic Federation. However, I did not tell you the true nature of the substance…" She pointed at the mushrooms. "Do you recognize these?"

"I think those are Blue Mushrooms," he said. "I can't tell though… They're… odd looking. But what does it have to do with anything?"

"They are no longer Blue Mushrooms; they've been corrupted by phazon," Samus said. "Phazon is the name of the substance that arrived on the meteor, or the Leviathan as the Federation has named it."

"Phazon?" Dust was more than taken aback by the revelation. "Did it… change those mushrooms?"

"That it did," Samus comfirmed. "Phazon is highly mutagenic; any organism that survives contact with it will be corrupted by it. Their natural abilities and traits will become powerful weapons, though any intelligence they possess will be replaced with pure bloodlust."

Dust stood with mouth agape, struggling to grasp this new information. "What… what could create something so evil?"

"We do not know how phazon was formed, but it came from a distant planet called Phaaze," Samus said. "Phaaze was a living, sentient planet, and made entirely out of phazon. It was also responsible for the creations of Leviathans, and it sent them into the cosmos to infect planets with phazon in hopes of it becoming a second Phaaze. When Phaaze was destroyed, so was all phazon in the galaxy… or so we thought."

"_Do you know where this Leviathan came from_?" Ahrah asked. "_Perhaps a second Phaaze was created, and this is a result of its creation_?"

"It's certainly possible," Samus said, "Though the fact that this is the only Leviathan that the Federation detected in the entire galaxy says otherwise."

"_Are these Leviathans numerous_?"

"I've dealt with five other planets that have been struck by them, and there are more that were unable to be saved before Phaaze's destruction or were simply undetected; to say they are numerous is an understatement."

Dust approached the mushrooms, observing them closely. "If these made contact with phazon, then there's source nearby…"

"Meaning that the settlement you told me of is in great peril," Samus added. "This gives us two options; have the citizens evacuate to a safer area, or locate and destroy the source of the contamination before the situation becomes critical. Of course, if the village has been corrupted by this point, however unlikely, neither of those options are valid. We'll be forced to euthanize the corrupted population."

"Wait, what?!" Dust shouted, anger filling his voice. "Why would we do that?"

"It would be a mercy kill, Dust," Samus replied. "Phazon is no mere poison; death is the only escape from the monstrosity you become. Would you rather take the life of a phazon-maddened abomination, or have it take the lives of countless innocents?"

Dust opened his mouth to protest, but found himself unable to argue against Samus' logic. Defeated, he simply said, "Then let's go; we can still save them."

He began sprinting toward the village before Samus could say anything, leaving her alone in the clearing. The village might be saved, but there would be those unfortunate, or fortunate enough to be corrupted. It was a fool notion to believe that disaster could be prevented when faced with its immanency, thus making Dust a fool in Samus' eyes. He was capable, and a skilled warrior, but his mind was as naïve and inexperienced as a child's; a deadly combination when combined with mind-altering substances such as phazon. Samus took off after him, though as she did one thought embedded itself in her mind.

Dust would threaten the mission so long as he traveled with her.

* * *

**_This was a shorter chapter simply because I didn't want to force anything like I did last time. Slow and steady doesn't win the race, but it sure does help ensure quality... mostly. I'm looking at you Chapter 4..._**

**_Slower updates will be inevitable now that school's starting up again, but I downright refuse to give up on this. It may not be the best story ever to grace this site, but I started it and I will see it through 'till the end. However, without reviews it'll just be a long, mediocre story. With reviews telling me what I did wrong, it'll be a long, possibly less mediocre __story! :)_  
**

**_**EDIT: An anonymous reviewer informed me that I misspelled "mutagenic". Rest assured this has been corrected, and Spell Check has been punished accordingly. _**


	6. The Corrupted Titan

Dust dashed through the remainder of the forest, suddenly finding himself in the fields of Geehan's Farm. He quickly scanned the horizon, but nothing was in sight, save Aurora Village. "Maybe they're in the farmhouse…" Dust said to himself. Running up to the door of the small shack, Dust knocked on the door. There was no answer, which worried him. "Geehan? Oneida? Are you two there?!"

"What are you doing?" Samus appeared behind him with almost no warning. "There's nobody here; whoever you're looking for is probably in the village. We can't waste any time."

"Wait, what do you mean by-?"

"No time," Samus spun around and began sprinting toward the village in the distance, motioning Dust to follow.

As Aurora came into greater detail, Dust noticed that the smoke stacks he had seen earlier were not from chimneys; they were burning buildings. Imps and various other beasts ran amok, lighting even more fires and destroying anything they got their hands on.

"The situation's dire," Samus said over the din the creatures were making. "Go and find any survivors and lead them to safety; I'll distract the horde."

Finding no reason to argue with the huntress, Dust ran off toward the more intact houses. Beasts and imps alike abandoned their destructive activities, opting to retaliate against the assault Samus lay against them and giving Dust the opportunity he needed to enter the houses unhindered.

A muffled cry came from the smoldering remains of a sizable home. "_HELP ME_!" Dust quickly ran over to the source of the cry, throwing debris over his shoulder in search of the unfortunate soul within. "_Is somebody there? Get over here and save me, you lazy cretin_!" The instant Dust recognized the voice, a reluctance to continue searching for the source came over him.

Pulling away the last of the debris, a brown furred man with lavish (though slightly torn) clothes. "Oh merde…" Gianni muttered. "I was hoping my savior would be… someone else…"

"Would you rather have me leave you here with a few hundred imps?" Dust threatened.

"Well…" Gianni chuckled nervously. "No. I would rather live, thank you. But my leg may… err, complicate my ability to do so…" Dust moved more rubble aside and discovered that the aristocrat's leg was horribly mangled.

"I'll carry you," Dust said. "But only if you tell me where everyone else is."

"They went into the storage caverns below Mordecai's shop…" he said indifferently. "They told me to come too, but it is quite filthy in there…"

Dust shook his head, sighing out of either frustration or pity; not even he was sure. He slung Gianni over his shoulder then began making his way for the storage cavern, taking care not to be hit by one of Samus' stray shots.

* * *

The beasts came from all sides, but none had even as much as scratched Samus' armor. She fired at nearly everything that approached her, and kicked anything that came too close. It was difficult to help but be amused by how fragile the creatures were; a single shot from her power beam was more than enough to dispatch most of them. Even larger, obviously stronger ones with clubs seemed to meet defeat with but two or three shots.

Curious about the creatures' nature, Samus activated her Scan Visor, continuing to fire as data was collected.

_**Scan complete.**_

_**Target dubbed Imp.**_

_**Creature is a semi-sentient being with wide genetic variations. Imps are aggressive, but not very durable nor intelligent. Most weapons appear to be effective against them.**_

'Imps'. Samus couldn't help think that the term suited them perfectly. Dangerous, aggressive, yet woefully incompetent.

She spotted Dust out of the corner of her eye, carrying someone with him on his shoulder. An imp began rushing up behind them, and Samus immediately fired a single shot.

* * *

Dust kept running toward the storage cave, though Gianni's weight slowed him down considerably.

"Run faster!" he complained. "I'm getting soot in my clothes…"

"How about I drop you right here?" Dust growled, almost meaning it. "Plenty of imps would savor a meal like you…"

"Hehehe… never mind then."

As he continued onward, Dust heard a loud _**BANG!**_ He spun around in time to see a headless imp collapse on the ground, its neck burnt to a crisp.

"Watch yourself!" Samus shouted as she resumed massacring the imps, not even sparing glance toward Dust.

Dust gripped Ahrah tightly, now more prepared to defend himself from any potential aggressor, and continued onward toward the storage cavern, where he hoped the rest of the village was in relative safety.

"Might I ask who that was?" Gianni asked, craning his neck backwards a bit. "Perhaps he's going to also try and murder me?"

Thinking about it, Dust realized Samus probably _would_ kill Gianni should he even speak to her. The fact that he referred to her as a man would have made that certain.

* * *

The imps' numbers were thinning out, but Samus knew that their rage was only growing. Their efforts became less organized and more and more desperate with every death, baring fangs and slashing claws, despite that by that point both appendages were cracked and bloodied. Samus had thought the creatures been at least somewhat intelligent, if their use of simple tools was something to go by, but their beast-like actions made her withdraw that assumption entirely. "Nothing more than common animals…" she muttered.

As she turned to aim at a large group of imps, Samus noticed something was off. They weren't moving. Like statues, they sat in almost perfect stillness, only the rise and fall of their chest gave any indication of whether or not they were alive. Just as suddenly as they had paused, the imps began fleeing from the village. Even the mortally wounded made an attempt to move, despite heavy bleeding, or in one case, a complete lack of legs.

The scene left Samus quite disturbed, but before she could begin processing what she had witnessed, a deep rumble came from the distance. She turned towards the noise, which was now increasing in volume and frequency, the ground shaking violently beneath her.

"Oh shit…" Samus breathed, realizing what was coming.

From the horizon rose a massive figure of stone, with feet like mountains and fists larger and more jagged than any boulder. Blue veins of phazon riddled its stony flesh, no doubt making it stronger than it already appeared.

Samus took a breath, raising her arm cannon to her side. "It never ends."

* * *

From the storage cavern came hushed voices, relieving Dust greatly. Gianni seemed wholly indifferent to the aspect of being brought to safety, however. Dust lead the aristocrat down into the mouth of the cave, and was immediately bombarded by cries of joy.

"Dust! You're alive!" They cried, some hugging him and others weeping in joy.

A familiar looking man with a short black beard pushed his way through the crowed. "Is it really you Dust?! We had heard that you-"

"I'd love to stay and chat, Mayor Bram, but is anyone missing?" Dust interrupted.

"Not that I am aware of."

"_Ahem_." Gianni gave the mayor a venomous glare.

"Oh, right. Gianni…" Bram said, almost indifferently.

"I have to go," Dust said, dropping Gianni and ignoring the subsequent cry of pain. "Stay here; don't come looking-"

A deep rumbling sound came from above the cave, showering bits of rock and dust on the villagers. Screams of horror erupted when wave after wave of imps began falling from the cave's mouth, running toward the forest nearby. After a few moments the imps had disappeared, but the rumbling had only gotten louder.

A feeling of dread came over Dust. "I need to find Samus," he said, dashing out of the cave and toward the huntress' location.

* * *

The massive blue creature loomed ominously over Samus, its rocky skin grinding softly as it breathed. She couldn't help but find the creature quite curious; it appeared almost immediately after the horde before it retreated.

_**Scan complete.**_

_**Target dubbed Corrupted Titan.**_

_**Subject is made primarily liquid phazon, though large amounts of crystallized phazon are present. Muscular system has been enhanced greatly by phazon mutations; subject can lift up to three times its body weight, possibly more. A thin layer of phazite has formed on the subject's skin, making it highly resistant to your weapon systems. **_**Extreme caution advised**_**.**_

Samus frowned. Phazon, though deadly, was not a very durable material. Phazite on the other hand, could only be destroyed by large amounts of phazon energy, otherwise it would have to be penetrated by a high frequency beam weapon. Unfortunately, Samus had neither at her disposal, partially thanks to the Galactic Federation's restrictions on unregistered weaponry.

Without warning, the titan slammed its stony fist in the ground, giving Samus barely having enough time to dodge it. The impact left a large crater where Samus had stood, as well as small flecks of phazon off the Titan's skin. She glanced at the crater for a moment, realizing just how strong this creature was. Her heart began to beat rapidly; Samus had no way of fighting this thing, but it could very easily kill her in a single blow.

The Titan roared as it slammed its fist into the ground once more, this time with seemingly twice the force. Though Samus had dodged it, the shockwave it generated nearly knocked her off her feet. The Titan seemed genuinely surprised by the effect it had on the earth, but surprise turned to cunning when it began slamming both fists into the ground at blinding speeds. Samus almost immediately toppled over, the quaking making it impossible to stand up again. The Titan seized its opportunity and grabbed the huntress between its club-like hands, almost seeming to laugh at its victory.

Samus struggled tirelessly, but the strength of the Titan was simply too much for her. Suddenly, the Titan began pressing its fist together, applying _massive_ amounts of pressure on her. She screamed in agony, watching helplessly as her energy drained rapidly, death growing closer and closer with every unit gone.

* * *

Dust felt the ground rumble forcefully as he dashed through the ruined village, his worries only growing as he realized where it had come from. "You'd better still be alive, Samus," he breathed almost silently.

"_You suspect Samus is in danger?_" Ahrah questioned.

"It's more than a suspicion, Ahrah" Dust replied. "I know something's wrong."

"_I'm surprised by your sudden concern for her safety._"

"She knows what the hell's going on here," Dust said. "And like you said earlier, she may be the reason why I'm here right now."

"_Samus seems quite capable,_" Ahrah said. "_I somehow doubt that she's_-" The sword was interrupted by a violent earthquake, knocking Dust to his feet and Ahrah out of his grasp. As Dust scrambled to collect Ahrah, a blood-curdling scream pierce the air.

"Samus!" Dust dashed ahead to the source of the cry, and found Samus between the bulbous hands of a giant. "Hand on!" he called, gripping Ahrah tightly. Dust leapt into the air and slashed at the monster's arm, which immediately severed from its body. Both Samus and the arm fell to the ground with a resounding thud, and Streams of blue liquid gushed from the giant's shoulder. The giant itself seemed only mildly confused, almost as if it felt no pain from the injury.

"_Careful Dust!_" Ahrah said. "_That thing isn't natural! If it could do that to Samus-_" The giant slammed its remaining fist where Dust was standing, but he quickly dodged to the side. "_So much interrupting these past few hours…_" Ahrah said irritably."_It's quite rude…_"

* * *

Samus open her eyes, and to her surprise, she was on the ground, and still quite alive. She rose to feet slowly, still feeling the after-effects of the Titan's torturous punishment. Her energy was critically low; only twenty units remained.

"Why am I still alive?" she thought aloud. Suddenly, she noticed a large blue mass lying beside her; a large, rocky lump on one side while blue liquid poured from the other. It was an arm, she realized. Looking up, Samus saw the Titan bashing away at something with one arm. She blinked. It had _one arm_. Deciding her vision had perhaps failed her, Samus scanned the Titan once more.

_**Scan complete.**_

_**Target identified as a Corrupted Titan.**_

_**Subject's left arm has been severed from the rest of its body. Large amounts of phazon have solidified over the wound; given time it will harden into phazite.**_

Samus couldn't believe it. Something had actually managed to cut through that thing's arm. "Dust?" she realized the he had been the target of the Titan's onslaught, and no doubt the one who had injured the beast. "I knew Ahrah was sharp, but damn…" Finding herself wanting help, but too weak to do so, Samus lifted her arm cannon so that it was just barely touching her forehead. She cleared her mind of all thoughts, and began to concentrate on her suit's mental connection to her. Energy slowly began to replenish itself, though she felt herself becoming slightly drained as it did. "Just a bit longer," she murmured, trying to ignore Dust and the Titan's battle.

* * *

The giant was relentless in its attacks, creating massive holes in the ground with ever slam of its fist. Dust tried desperately to find an opening in between his continuous dodging, but despite having a single arm the giant was quick to counter any attack with a fearsome kick.

"I can't get in close enough!" Dust said, frustrated with how persistent the monster was. "I'm going to run out of breath before I can get a scratch on this thing!"

"_Stay calm, Dust_," Ahrah said. "_It will eventually make a mistake. Then we can finish it off._"

"'Eventually.' That's what I'm worried about."

The warrior became more and more tired with every movement, but almost as soon as he was on the verge of collapsing , he heard Samus call out, "Dust! Move out of the way!" Heeding her warning, Dust leapt backwards with the last of his strength, a large explosion hitting the stub where the giant's arm used to be. More blue liquid spewed from the wound, and this time it seemed to genuinely be in pain. The giant sank to the ground, holding it's remaining arm over the gushing wound and moaning quite pitifully.

"How is she-?" Dust was baffled as to how Samus was still standing after being crushed by the giant, but he saw no reason to complain seeing as how she was giving him time to rest. As the giant struggled to recover from the agony of its wound, she ran over to him, her armor scratched and dented, but otherwise unaffected by the punishment it had taken.

"You're not hurt, are you?" she asked, though her tone did not seem to convey concern as much as it did desperation.

"Just need to catch my breath…"Dust replied. "What about you?"

"I'll make it," she said. "But I need you to take that thing down."

"What do you mean? Don't you have like twenty different weapons in that arm cannon of yours?"

"None of them can get through that thing's skin," she explained. "Ahrah is probably the only weapon on the planet that can damage it, let alone slice through it." The giant's moaning stopped. "The _instant _you can lift your sword again, let me know and follow my orders."

Samus dashed away and began firing at the giant's wound, leaving Dust to himself. "Things were simpler before aliens got involved…" he muttered.

* * *

Samus already had the plan mapped out in her head; first she would freeze the Titan from the inside with her Ice Beam, and then have Dust finish it off while it was immobile. It was a simple plan, but one she figured was effective.

"Samus!" Dust called out. "I'm ready!"

"Wait for my signal!" she called back, quickly switching to her Ice Beam. Samus charged to beam fully, being careful not to get within the Titan's melee range. When it reached its maximum charge level, she fired at the exposed flesh on the Titan's left shoulder, freezing it instantaneously. "Now, Dust!"

Dust sprinted toward the Titan, Ahrah poised and ready to deal the finishing blow. With a mighty leap, he raised the blade above his head and- _**CRACK!**_ The sound of ice shattering and the breaking of bones filled the air as the Titan slammed its stony fist into Dust, sending him skyward with its sheer force.

"Oh _shit_," Samus breathed, realizing how terribly wrong things had gone. Dust hit the ground with a loud _thud_, and ceased to move. Samus quickly scanned Dust, and was somewhat relieved to learn that he was still alive, though just barely. She ran over to him and began shaking his limp body mercilessly. "Dust! Get up, Dust!" He only responded with a low grunt and a bloody cough. "Dust if you can hear me, get up and help me kill that thing!"

The Titan began to march toward the two of them, anger clouding it's luminous eyes. Samus dropped Dust and turned to face the Titan. "You'd better get up." She leapt directly at the beast, and grabbed onto its left shoulder. Samus switched to her Wave Beam, and shoved her arm cannon deep into the liquid-like flesh of the Titan. As phazon energy began to eat way at her shielding, Samus fired into the wound, sending electricity coursing through the Titan and rendering it immobile.

"Dust! Get up! I can't do this for long!" The warrior remained motionless on the ground. "Dammit, Dust! Fight! This is our last chance!" Samus' energy drained rapidly, and she felt her shielding become less and less effective with each passing moment. "Not here…" she said weakly as her energy approached zero. As her energy plummeted toward that deadly number, Samus felt the Titan stagger, and blue fluid rained down on her. She leapt off the Titan's shoulder and watched it fall to the earth, shaking the ground as it landed. Dust stood close by, breathing heavily and dripping with blue liquid.

With a few words, Dust managed to sum up the experience. "Things have gone to hell sooner than I expected."

* * *

_**I sincerely apologize for the long gap between the last chapter and this one. School's being quite demanding, and so has my social life as of late. This has left me with little time to write, and when I do have time I'm just not in the mood. The fact that this ended up being a +3,000 word chapter did not help speed things up in the least. Hopefully, however, now that I'm able to make time to write, updates should be somewhat consistent. No promises, however; I do have higher priorities than fan-fiction. Hope you guys understand.**_

_**Anyway, reviews are as welcome as ever, as they help me further my entirely non-existent writing career!**_


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